Spring 2024 - Tarnished Viking Hall
The "Tarnished Viking Hall" was originally based off of my first ever 3D environment within Unreal Engine. As my first homework assignment at school in 2022, it only reached the stage of blocking out. In other words, it never became a full-fledged environment up until now. For some context, the environment takes place within the destroyed Viking hall of a non-existent, prosperous Norwegian village. The combination of an army and a dragon have led to the village's demise. Somberness fills the hall, where flames and ash bring finality, however a dragon's roar echoes above. Perhaps, the fate of this village will not be the last... I'm proud to present one of my favorite environments I've ever made so far, and the coolest part about this project is that the modeling and UVing was all done in Houdini! And yes I mean every model! The giant tree, the dragon statues, the banners, the weapons, and all the destroyed modular wood assets. As promised in my Procedural Ice Watch project description, I want to integrate Houdini into all my future projects going forward. In this case, it was integral for creating all the natural/organic looking models. I'd also like to announce the possibility of a prequel/continuation of this environment in the future, I hope you all look forward.
As always, there will be a work in progress video at the end. All sounds and music are royalty free.
Music link: https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-freyja-viking-nordic-background-music-110931/
Final Key Shot Cinematic:
Final Support Shot 1 Cinematic:
Final Support Shot 2 Cinematic:
Final Key Shot:
Final Support Shot 1:
Final Support Shot 2:
Whitebox Remake Key Shot:
Whitebox Remake Support Shot 1:
Whitebox Remake Support Shot 2:
Old Whitebox Key Shot:
Old Whitebox Support Shot 1:
Old Whitebox Support Shot 2:
Progression Over Time (58 secs with music):
Note: Only a couple out of the dozens of Houdini assets are showcased below.
High Poly Throne Made in Houdini:
Throne Node Tree:
Throne Metalwork Patterns:
Pattern Technique:
Creates a pattern using a circle as a base, the shape is then controlled using parameters. This shape is copied along a grid to create a pattern. The grid is then wrapped around the object that is inputted using its normals.
This pattern technique is utilized on the majority of models within the scene, including those of metalwork and woodwork. Special shoutout to Konstantin Magnus for creating this technique. The video is called "Plain Weft Knitting - Houdini Tutorial".
High Poly Tree Made in Houdini:
Tree Roots Part 1:
Tree Roots Part 2:
Tree Roots Part 3:
Tree Roots Technique Part 1:
A section of the tree is first separate or "blasted". This model is then remeshed into tris to create the root pattern. Otherwise, if the mesh is in quads, it will create a hedge maze pattern. Continued on next image.
Tree Roots Technique Part 2:
A start and end point is then selected manually to determine the direction of roots. The path is then procedural generated using the findshortestpath node. Lastly, this path is resampled and sweeped to create the roots mesh.